Vitsstroitekhmash is implementing an investment project for the production of truck-mounted aerial platforms made of high-strength steel

May 20, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The enterprise "Vitstroytekhmash" has launched an investment project for the production of truck-mounted aerial platforms made of high-strength structural steel, as reported to BELTA correspondent by Andrey Sidorov, director of the private production and trading unitary enterprise "Vitstroytekhmash". Vitebsk machine builders have begun constructing a new workshop, where they plan to produce at least 10 aerial platforms per month, and have simultaneously started purchasing equipment. At the beginning of this year, "Vitstroytekhmash" was the first in Belarus to develop a truck-mounted aerial platform made of high-strength structural steel and produced a prototype. The technical characteristics of the boom-mounted aerial platform, capable of lifting workers and tools with materials to a height of almost 20 m, are not inferior to foreign counterparts, and thanks to the use of high-strength steels, its metal consumption is 40% lower than that of competitors, while the load-bearing capacity remains the same. The lifting mechanism is controlled by an electro-hydraulic console. The Vitebsk aerial platform is half the price. The enterprise plans to start serial production of truck-mounted aerial platforms with lifting heights of 20 m, 25 m, and 32 m under the "Vipo" trademark at the end of this year. The company's marketing strategy provides for the creation of service centers for product maintenance, as well as training and preparation of specialists for working with it, along with the development of new product types. The enterprise intends to invest over Br4.5 billion in the project and complete its implementation in 2013. The project envisages the creation of 100 jobs. Tax revenues to the local budget for 2010-2013, according to preliminary estimates, will amount to over Br8.5 billion. Speaking about the sales potential of the new product, Andrey Sidorov noted that the niche for truck-mounted aerial platforms in the domestic market remains open. The main suppliers of aerial platforms to Belarus are enterprises from Russia and Ukraine, as well as Italian and Finnish manufacturers. Despite the fact that the enterprise has not yet started serial production, there are already buyers for the new product. Six aerial platforms have been sold since the prototype was released. The development of the production of lifting mechanisms will not only replace imported equipment with domestic ones but also allow for export, the head is confident. A demonstration stand is already operating in Moscow in one of the VDNKh pavilions, and the aerial platform itself is undergoing certification in the Russian Federation. The private production and trading unitary enterprise "Vitstroytekhmash" was established in 2004. The enterprise specializes in the technical maintenance and repair of all types of truck-mounted aerial platforms and aerial platforms, the manufacture of critical metal structures and components, and the production of construction equipment. -0-